Look around you and think of all the different ways we use
water. Drinking, cooking, baths, showers, flushing the toilet and
washing clothes between them account for about 150 litres per
person per day. That sounds like quite a lot doesn't it? But 150
litres a day is a mere drop of what we actually consume! The
average person in the UK actually consumes more than 3,400 litres
of water every single day!

Out of 3,400 litres, a mere 0.2% is used for drinking, 4.2% is
used for domestic purposes such as cooking and cleaning, 30.6% is
embedded in industrial goods and a massive 65% is embedded in the
food that we eat. By embedded, we mean the amount of water taken to
make an item. So for example, a single microchip weighing 2 grams
could have 32 litres of water embedded in it, a sheet of A4 paper
has 10 litres, and it takes more than 400,000 litres of water to
make an average car.

Everybody, freelancers included, can do their bit to help save
water. Simple measures like fixing a dripping tap can save 5,500
litres a year. Invest in a modern dishwasher which will use a
quarter of the water consumed by washing the dishes by hand, but
make sure you fill it, a half full dishwasher is not going to be
water efficient. The same goes for is true for washing machines. 2
half loads use more water than one full load, sp resist the
temptation to turn on the washing machine every time you have a
couple of items to wash.

Have you already implemented water saving measures in your home?
Are you seeing the benefits? What other ways of saving water can
our readers come up with?